Make A Wish
by liliaann
Summary: Gaara/Naruto AU. What happens when our favourite blond finds himself master of a human hating genie? Can Naruto undo hundreds of years worth of hurt, betrayal and anger to find something more? Overall story will be M rating. boyxboy. slight Sasuke/Naruto. mostly Gaara/Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Gaara/Naruto Naruto/Gaara. Hi thank you for reading just a little bunny that won't leave me alone. So I thought I'd put up a couple of chapters and see if anyone's interested. I haven't abandoned my other stories it's just this one won't go away so I can concentrate on them. It will be a slow build. Warnings as always boyxboy, adult themes (yes sex and stuff), bad language, violence (most likely), blood and gore, and probably a character death or two. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**

 **Chapter 1. A New Beginning**. 

Naruto unlocked the front door to the apartment he shared with his boyfriend. Without even a glance the blond man chucked his keys into the glass fruit bowl on the little table at the side of the door and with a tired sigh started to undo the zip of his coat. The apartment was dark and quiet; Sasuke was either still at the station or in bed. Naruto slowly made his way down the little beige coloured hallway towards the large open plan kitchen/living room. The apartment was a simple set up, a long hallway leading from the front door to the living room/kitchen at the back of the apartment. Four doors were situated at different intervals along the hallway. The first on the right hand side was a closet; the second on the right was his and Sasuke's room. The first door on left was the bathroom followed by the spare room. The main living space like the rest of the house was sparsely decorated. The plain white walls made the house feel cold and the room had no real character in the blonde's opinion. The accessories in the room were all shinny white or black painted modern pieces of furniture. A large black leather L-shaped couch dominated most of the room, heavy black drapes kept the room dark throughout the day. A large TV stood in the corner on top of a large white unit. The few pictures hanging on the walls were just canvases with a pattern of black, white and grey shades. As he passed his and Sasuke's room he glanced through the open door. It was empty. Naruto huffed as he carried on his way to the coffee maker. The kitchen was a decent size with marble counter tops and a breakfast bar separating the living room from the kitchen. The clock on the microwave told the blond man it was just after seven in the evening. After grabbing the cream from the fridge and switching his favourite appliance on the blond propped himself up against the counter.

"I'm sure I'm the only nurse who works these stupid hours." Naruto grumbled to himself.

It had been a gruelling 18 hours in the A&E ward. Naruto leaned against the counter top as he waited for the coffee maker to finish making its weird sounds, which indicated it hadn't been used for a while. It wasn't Naruto didn't enjoy his job as a nurse he did, he loved it even. The problem was when your grandmother ran the damn place. The other staff accused the blond of getting special treatment from the woman. The truth was far from it, the woman practically bullied him into adding an hour or two, or five to his shifts on a regular basis. A tired smile crept onto his face when he heard the front door open and close.

"Naruto, you home?" Sasuke called from the front door noticing his partner's keys in the bowl as the raven placed his own bundle inside the glass.

"Kitchen, coffee, want some?" The tanned blond hollered back.

Sasuke entered the kitchen and stared at the tired blond holding himself up on the counter.

"You look about as bad as I feel." The dark haired male smirked as he crossed the distance to place a simple peck on his boyfriend's lips.

"Long shift. I've only just walked in myself." Naruto replied as he watched the pale skinned dark haired man loosen the top couple of buttons of his shirt.

The raven nodded as he reached up to grab two mugs from the cupboard and set them down. Naruto poured them both a mug of coffee and handed one to his partner. They both added cream and sugar to their likings (Sasuke cream no sugar. Naruto lots of cream and sugar) and sipped at their drinks in silence for a moment before Naruto reached his limit.

"What's got you looking so down?" He asked running a hand threw his spiky blond hair.

"Double homicide." Sasuke mumbled from behind his mug.

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Another? That's like three in as many weeks."

"It's that fucking Akatsuki gang again. They've been terrorising every town, city and state they end up in. Murder, robbing, drugs, human trafficking you name it their doing it on some level. But no one's come anywhere near catching the main members. We only ever manage to snag the underlings. It's like they know exactly where we are and what we're doing before we do. Hell, we don't even know who they really are or how many of them there are." The dark haired man growled.

"I might look at getting a car." Naruto said taking a gulp out of his cup.

Sasuke lowered his mug. "Yep. Konoha's getting as bad as the bigger cities. Crime seems to be winning the war."

Naruto placed his coffee on the side and stepped towards his boyfriend wrapping his tanned arms around Sasuke's pale neck. "It's not and it never will." The blond whispered then tried to place a kiss on the pale mans lips, but Sasuke turned his head.

"Look I'm really tired it's been a long day and you look shattered as well. Can we do this another time?" The raven haired male asked in a low voice.

Naruto stepped back from his partner azure eyes downcast. "Umm...sure...you're probably right. We should get some sleep."

The older male gave a small smile. "I'm gonna jump in the shower."

"Okay..." Naruto whispered but Sasuke was already walking away.

The blond rubbed at his eyes with his finger tips. Five weeks. It has been five weeks since the last time he and Sasuke were intimate. And the blond was ready to pull his hair out and scream in frustration. It never used to be like this, one word, one touch, one look that was all that either of them needed for things to heat up. But now Sasuke felt so cold and distant. Even when the raven haired male kissed or held Naruto it felt wrong, uncomfortable. For the first time in their four year relationship Naruto was beginning to feel something was amiss. Sasuke was always too tired or not in the mood. He'd started going to the local bar after work with the other officers. Was Sasuke cheating on him? With who? Was it someone the blond knew? Was it a friend? The thought gave the blond a headache he wasn't known for his insight and wisdom in this sort of stuff. Naruto would much rather confront a problem head on, but could he be wrong and if he was what would happen? He had chased that obnoxious bastard since high school. Was it really all for nothing? Giving himself a mental shake the blond walked over to the answer machine and pressed the button to listen to the messages left today. He was being stupid he had no proof. Still what man in a happy relationship would go five weeks without sex? Well he himself had Naruto reasoned, but that was only because his partner didn't want any.

A voice from the machine interrupted the blonde's depressing thoughts. "First new message." Followed by a small pause.

"Brat, since your off tomorrow you can come and help Jiraiya get rid of that shit he's got up in the attic. I'm sick of looking at boxes of trinkets he got from his travels. Antiques my arse tourist trash more like. Anyway be here at 9.30 sharp. And that's AM brat." The message finished with a click.

"Second new message."

"Hey Naruto it's me...Kiba, just in case you didn't know. Me and some off the guys are getting together for a few drinks tomorrow night. I left Sakura an invite too. Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, Lee and a couple of others have all said they'd be there. If your off it'd be great if you could come it's been a while. Hit me back dog."

Naruto smiled to himself. That actually sounded like fun. He knew Sasuke wouldn't come even though they were his old friends from school too. The raven always used excuses like _"Never really liked him anyway."_ Or _"God she's so annoying."_ But Naruto had worked hard to earn his friends and had been the one to make the effort to keep everyone in touch. Plus for the last few months Naruto had kind off ditched them to try and spend more quality time with his partner. Fat lot of good that did him. Making the decision to go and help his grandfather at his grandmother's in the morning then meet up with his old circle of friends for a few beers and a general laugh around 7, the blond made his way to his bedroom.

When Naruto entered the master bedroom he let himself flop, face-down onto the mattress, bouncing a few times before slowly and lazily undressing himself while still lying horizontal on the bed. In total it had taken Naruto a good five minutes to wriggle out of his shirt and the t-shirt he'd worn underneath it. The en-suite bathroom door opened and Sasuke stepped out already wearing his black sleeping pants. He eyed the blond struggling to shimmy out of his jeans. With a shake of his head Sasuke walked over to his lover and grabbed the legs of his pants.

"You're so damn lazy." He grunted as he removed the clothing.

"Shut it bastard, I've worked 18 hours. I'm so tired I'm not even tired anymore." Naruto pouted before scrambling under the duvet.

Sasuke snorted but followed Naruto's lead into the slightly cool covers. "That doesn't even make sense idiot."

The blond scrunched his nose up in thought. "Really? Have you never gotten to that point where you're so tired you kinda...I don't know go passed it?"

"Go passed being tired? No I stay tired until my eyes droop and I pass out."

"Your weird."

Sasuke grunted before rolling over and flicking off the lamp on his side of the bed. "Goodnight Naruto."

The blond stared at his partners back for a moment before turning away from him and resting his head on his pillow. A heavy weight settled in the blond mans chest. He felt like he'd lost something important.

"Sasuke. I'm going to help at Tsunade's in the morning and Kiba invited me for a drink tomorrow night. You hadn't planned anything had you?"

"No that's fine have fun." Came the muffled reply.

The blond bit his lip. "Are we okay?"

He felt the bed dip as Sasuke rolled over to face the blond. Naruto stayed facing away from the pale male.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"I mean us. You seem different. You don't seem to want to be around me anymore." Naruto had started to twist the bed sheet in his fingers.

The raven sat up bringing his knees up and resting an arm on them. "Naruto...I know I haven't been very attentive lately...honestly no were not alright. I was trying to sort through it myself, but I guess if you've noticed it's only fair I tell you. I'm 26 and still a patrol officer. At this rate I'm never going to catch Itachi up. He was a detective at my age." Sasuke paused to take a deep breath before he continued. "I care for you Naruto; I always have and always will. But there's this woman I work with a friend, I've begun to have feelings for her..."

Naruto leapt out of the bed. "You cheating bastard! I knew you were fucking someone else! I'll kick your fucking ass."

Sasuke was just as quick to react and now stood on his side of the room glaring at the enraged blond man. "I haven't fucking cheated! I said I have feelings for her."

"Same difference you want to fuck some woman." Naruto paused.

"It's not like that. I want a family Naruto. A real family like Itachi, wife and kids. I want a normal life this isn't normal."

Naruto felt winded at his lover's words. "Not normal. That's what you think?" He whispered mostly to himself.

The raven haired male scrubbed a hand down his face. "That's not what I meant. Or maybe it is I'm just so damn confused right now. I care for you and I've enjoyed being with you. You know me inside out and I do you. Maybe that's the problem, there's no spark anymore. I know exactly what you're thinking and I'm sure you feel the same."

"No I like the fact that you know me like that." Naruto knew that in the beginning of their relationship there had been some issues. Sasuke hated to show any emotion he classed it as weakness, Naruto on the other hand wore his heart on his sleeve. They were complete opposites in the way they acted and in their general attitude towards people and life. But they were also very similar in the respect they were both dominant people and there was bound to be a few initial problems having two very dominate personalities together. It caused quite a bit of friction between them especially in the bedroom. But they'd got over it and found a way that worked for them both. Over the years Naruto had peeled away at Sasuke's emotional walls and the two had become (in the blonde's eyes at least) soul mates.

"Well I don't. I'm bored. And Karin makes me feel the things I used to feel for you. Its new and exciting." Sasuke hollered back.

The blond took a step back as if physically hit. "Used too. Meaning you don't anymore?"

"I don't know." Sasuke looked at the blond.

Naruto's head was lowered but his fists were clenched. It hurt the raven to see his blond like this, but it wasn't enough anymore. He needed something more. Naruto lifted his azure eyes to meet Sasuke's inky coloured orbs.

"So where does this leave us?" The blond eventually asked.

"I honestly don't know. I think it would be best if we took a break from each other, until we figure it out."

Naruto nodded once then walked towards the wardrobe and pulled a beat up backpack of the top. The blond pulled his clothes off the floor and redressed himself. Without looking at the man behind him the blond started pulling out clothes from the draws and stuffing them in the bag.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked as the blond walked into the little bathroom.

"Packing. There's no point beating around the bush right. You want space, I'll give you space." Naruto replied calmly as he crammed his toothbrush into the already full bag.

"Naruto, its passed 8.30. By the time you get to Tsunade's it'll be past 10."

"I'm not going to the old bags."

"Then where are you going?"

"That's none of your business is it?"

Sasuke growled as he grabbed Naruto's arm as he went to leave the room. "Stop acting like a child. I still care about you."

Naruto kept his eyes hidden behind his fringe. He could feel the sting of tears threatening to fall. The blond really didn't want to leave the home the two of them had made together, but it would be worse to stay if Sasuke was thinking about someone other than him.

"I won't wait for you forever Sasuke. Just remember that." The blond ripped his arm away and grabbed his coat out of the closet. Naruto patted his pockets before realising he'd put his phone down somewhere. Quickly the blond located his phone on the kitchen side and made his way back to the front door where he found Sasuke waiting.

"This is stupid. Come back to bed we can talk about this properly in the morning."

"I think I got it. You find me boring, there's no spark left, your having feelings for some woman you work with. You want me to give you some space while you fuck around with her and decide if she's better than me. Got it."

Sasuke shook his head. "It's not like that. Your over reacting."

"Well since you know me so well you should have seen it coming. After all I love to cause a scene."

The blond wrenched the door open and stomped out. Once he made it to the elevator blue eyes stared sadly at his door. _"He hasn't even really tried to stop me."_ Naruto shook his head. _"No he didn't really want to stop me."_ The blond amended as the doors slid shut and he pressed the button for the first floor. As the doors opened to the lobby the blond pulled out his phone and flicked through the numbers. Who should he call? Ino, Choji, Kiba...the list went on and on he knew he could call anyone of these people. In the end he went back to the number he had first thought of. Sakura. She was his best friend and although Naruto felt a little guilty that he always ran to her when he and Sasuke fell out, he couldn't help but need her right now. Putting his phone to his ear and angrily swiping the tear that had managed to escape away it didn't take long for the pink haired girl to answer.

"Naruto, what's up?"

"Can I crash at yours?"

There was a pause. "Yeah, what happened?"

"Oh you know the usual. Sasuke's board of me. He's been having feelings for some whore he works with. And he needs some space to sort his head out." Naruto tried to joke lightly but it sounded strained even to himself.

"What? Are you serious? A woman."

"Yep, yep and yep. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I'll leave the door off the latch, let yourself in. Be careful okay." Sakura said softly.

Naruto smiled. "Sure. I'm five minutes away."

"Hurry up." With that the pink haired woman hung up.

With a heavy sigh the blond lifted his head to stare at the sky. It was dark and his breath rose up in wispy little clouds, the end of autumn was near it'd soon be winter. The weather matched the feeling in the blonde's chest, cold. The streets were dark and empty as he made his way to Sakura's apartment four blocks over. Would he and Sasuke get over this hurdle like they had all the others? He really hoped so, but something about this time felt different. There had never been anyone else involved before, just he and Sasuke fighting until one of them stormed out in a fit of anger. Naruto had stormed out tonight a little in anger but mostly he just ached. Nothing felt real like he was trudging through sludge. His limbs felt heavy and his stomach still hadn't lost that winded feeling. He wished he was just dreaming and he'd wake up any moment and find himself still in his bed with his raven haired lover beside him, just like it used to be a few months ago. Those memories seemed so long ago now. He guessed that's all they were now memories of a happy life that he somehow lost and now it was the start of a new beginning weather he wanted it or not.


	2. Treasure Or Trash

**Hi this is chapter two of my gaarnaru story. I hope you enjoy. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas I always enjoy hearing them. Please review if you wish for me to continue but no hating please. This story will be an M rating meaning there will be boyxboy, bad language, adult themes (yes that means sex and stuff.), violence and gore at some point. And a character death or two. Please excuse my bad spelling and grammar. Thank you for taking the time to read. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 2. Treasure Or Trash.

 _*Nothing felt real like he was trudging through fog. His limbs felt heavy and his stomach still hadn't lost that winded feeling. He wished he was just dreaming and he'd wake up any moment and find himself still in his bed with his raven haired lover beside him, just like it used to be a few months ago. Those memories seemed so long ago now. He guessed that's all they were now memories of a happy life that he somehow lost and now_ _it was a new beginning weather he wanted it or not.*_

Quietly Naruto opened the door of his friend's apartment. It was a silly citrusy really he knew the pink haired woman would be up and waiting for him. Even if she had done the same 18 hour shift as him and was literally sleeping on her feet. The blond hadn't even shut the door too before a voice behind him said.

"You know he'll want you back by the end of the week."

Naruto turned to give the woman a sad smile. "It's different this time."

Sakura leaned her shoulder against the door to the living room already wearing her PJ's. "How so?"

"Well for one, he's never had feelings for someone else. And two, he's never told me he's board of me and there's no spark anymore." Naruto set his bag on the floor and followed Sakura into the living room.

The blond eyed the bottle of vodka on the coffee table. Along with the full unopened vodka was a bottle of lemonade, a bottle of lime cordial and two glasses. This was why he needed this woman right now.

"You're a saint."

Sakura smirked as she settled herself on the sofa. "And don't you forget it, because one of these days when I've met mister right it's your turn."

With a salute Naruto dropped on the couch. "Are you doing the honours or am I?"

"I am the hostess." The green eyed woman smiled as she reached forward and snatched the vodka bottle up and unscrewed the lid. "A little or a lot?"

Naruto gave her a look that clearly said _"What do you think?"_

Sakura quickly poured two very strong vodka, lime and lemonades, handed one to her friend then leaned back into the sofa again her glass in hand. "So tell me everything."

Naruto gave a chuckle. Where to begin?

Page Break.

Blue eyes focused blurrily on a table with a number of empty bottles scattered on it. Some were plastic some glass. Slowly he let his eyes roll over the room. He was on Sakura's sofa. The previous nights events flooded threw his pounding head. The blond couldn't be sure if his head hurt so much because of all the emotional stress of last night or the alcohol of last night. As the blond struggled to sit up he concluded it was the alcohol after all. Sakura choose that moment to walking in carrying to steaming mugs. Naruto still after all these years of knowing the woman didn't understand how she could match him drink for drink and not suffer the effects the next day. She looked as fresh as a daisy as the saying goes.

"I'm glad you woke up. I didn't want to have to wake you, but you mentioned going to Tsunade's at 9.30."

Naruto started. "What time is it?"

"Relax you've got time to drink this and shower. I'll drive you down." Sakura smiled before taking a huge gulp from her beverage.

Naruto pouted. "I don't want to go now. I agreed before the shit hit the fan. It's not like I contacted her and said. "Yeah no probs love to help out." Jiraiya's probably not up yet anyway."

The pink haired woman giggled. "But if you don't turn up she'll ring you and force you to work tonight. You are coming tonight right?"

Naruto paused to think. If he went everyone would feel sorry for him and pity him and...buy him lots of drinks. He probably wouldn't have to spend a penny. The blond smiled. "I need my friends right now."

Emerald eyes rolled but the woman still had a smile on her face.

"Kiba said Lee's going to be there." Naruto remarked slyly.

"Yes I know. And?"

Naruto stared into his mug. "He still likes you, ya know."

Sakura sighed as she leant forward to put her cup on the table. "I know. I just don't feel that way. He's nice, charming, kind, considerate and smart. I just don't find him physically attractive."

It was true that Lee wasn't blessed with looks from the gods like some people, but he was far from ugly in the blonde's opinion. "I know you say that but would it hurt to try?"

"We'll see. Now go get changed."

Naruto jumped up and made his way to the bathroom snatching his rucksack up on the way. For once the blond only spent the time needed in the shower instead of just standing under the spray for an hour. Once he was dressed and about to head back into the living room Sakura stepped out of her bedroom with her car keys in hand.

"Let's go shall we?" She asked sweetly.

Naruto responded by groaning. He really could do without this. He knew as soon as he walked through the door Tsunade would know there was something wrong with her grandson. Sometimes it was a curse to wear your heart for all to see.

The ride was fairly quite. Sakura hummed quietly to the radio while Naruto checked his texted, calls, email and face book account. A small frown appeared on the tanned man's face when he saw nothing from the raven.

"Don't do this to yourself. Forget him and do what you need to do today, then tonight drink until you pass out." Sakura sent the blonde a glare.

"I didn't do anything...or say anything." Naruto argued.

"You were checking to see if Sasuke's been in touch." The pink haired woman said as she turned her attention back to the road in front.

Naruto pouted. He couldn't quell the hope that Sasuke would text him and say he made a mistake or that as soon as the door shut he knew he loved the blond, but was too stubborn to call him until now. Sakura watched from the corner of her eye as her friend's whole demeanour slumped. The pink haired woman couldn't believe what that selfish prick had done. After all he'd already put the blond through.

What was harder to believe was that once upon a time she'd been as helplessly in love with the raven as Naruto was now. Though Sasuke had always treated her as an annoyance she was too blind to see it at that time. Sakura had put her naiveté down to her age, didn't all 12-16 year old girls think they were in love at some point. Well Sasuke was her unrequited teenage love. She shuddered at the thought. It wasn't until Naruto and Sasuke started dating did the pink haired woman notice just what a selfish person the raven was. At first she'd been hurt and angry at Naruto for stealing the love of her life. She had felt betrayed, but that soon changed as she noticed the way the raven behaved towards the person he supposedly cared about. It didn't take her long to realise it wasn't just her and Naruto Sasuke treated like something he'd trodden on. It was everyone he had somehow come to the conclusion that they were beneath him. After her comprehension it was almost painfully easy for her feelings for the raven to turn from love to scorn and eventually Sakura just loathed the man. Of course she had never made her feelings known to the love stricken Naruto. He was too blinded to see what her and surprisingly (as she found out) the rest of their close knit group of friends thought of the youngest Uchiha.

Tsunade and Jiraiya's large driveway came into view and Naruto sighed in defeat. He knew as soon as he stepped through the door his grandmother would know there was something wrong with him. Then the questions would start. There was no point in the blond man lying, he'd never been any good at it and he'd b caught out in seconds. He turned pleading azure puppy eyes to his friend. Sakura raised an eyebrow, it had been years since that look had worked on her and they both knew it. With one last groan the blond resound himself to his fate.

"Thanks for the ride. What time does the fun kick off?" The blond mumbled.

"Just come back to mine when you're finished and we'll go down together. You're still staying with me right?" Sakura asked with a smile.

"If I can? I know it's a ball ache to have me around moping."

Sakura gave the man a playful punch on the shoulder, and giggled when the blond winced. "I told you I'm racking up favours for when I need them."

Naruto clambered non to gracefully out of the car. He turned to watch his friend's car disappeared down the street. Quickly running a hand through his golden hair he made his way towards his childhood home.

The door swung open and a severe looking blond woman stood in the solid oak door. Her caramel eyes swept over the young man in front of her and a frown appeared on her face.

"What happened?" She snapped.

Naruto smiled. "It's nice to see you. Sorry I haven't been over but I've been busy working all these extra shifts the old bag I work for keeps giving me."

"I'll give you "old bag" brat." Tsunade spat at her grandson. "I give you all those hours to make your wage up, so that he can't accuse you of not paying your way. Spoilt rich kids always have expensive tastes."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Well you don't have to worry about that, my knew roommates very down to earth."

Tsunade watched the blond _. "New roommate? So that means..."_ Understanding dawned on her face.

"So who gave who the boot this time?" The older woman asked as she walked back inside expecting Naruto to follow, which he did.

Naruto decided to just answer all her questions she wouldn't leave him alone until he did. Why prolong the pain?

"He wanted some space to sort through some things." He replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"What kind of things?"

Naruto grunted in annoyance. "Us, me, or relationship. Some woman he works with that he has feelings for."

"I see." Was all Tsunade said but Naruto didn't miss the way her back stiffened ever so slightly.

Naruto prized himself on his ability to read people's body language. In his opinion it was his only natural talent, of course his friends argued that. She wasn't happy.

He couldn't deny even in her late 50's the woman was still beautiful. Long light blond hair fell mid-way down her back, her pale skin was still wrinkle free and she still retained her ample full breast. She wasn't his maternal grandmother; his dad's mother had died when he was 15. Naruto's grandfather Jiraiya had married Tsunade 10 years ago. The woman was hard and abrasive, but at the same time Naruto knew the woman loved him more like a son then a grandson. Tsunade had never had children of her own she and Jiraiya had gone to school together, but lost touch through the years. Jiraiya had married, had a son (Manito), become a famous author and became a widower before they came into contact again. Naruto owed the woman a lot, it was her that pulled Jiraiya out of his depression when his wife died and helped him pick up the pieces to be strong for his son, who was 17 at the time. And then again not 12 years later when Manito and his wife died in car crash. Then as if the woman hadn't done enough she brought a distort 6 year old into her house and made it his home. At the time Jiraiya and Tsunade were just friends and he was living on his own, but she had deemed him unfit to look after his grandson. Jiraiya had been furious and disappeared for nearly a year before returning. When he did come home he'd managed to pull himself together somewhat and started to rebuild his life, even going as far as to admit that he couldn't have cared for Naruto in the state he was in and probably still couldn't. Tsunade hadn't even battered an eyelid; she merely stated that Naruto would have a home here anytime he needed it. She stayed by Jiraiya's side counselling him and coaxing him through every hurdle.

For Naruto she attended every play, activity and parent's event at school. She paied for everything he needed, every item of clothing, every book and every trip. He never went without in that respect, but those weren't the things that made Naruto love this woman like a mother, mentor and friend. It was the other things she had done. It was the nights she sat up holding a crying child because the others kids picked on him or he missed his parents. It was the way Tsunade challenged the mothers that looked down on Naruto. The way she would reassure him that Jiraiya would come back for him. The way she never held anything but respect in her voice for his real grandmother and his parents when the curious boy asked about them. The notes left when she had to work late. The words she said, though they were never sloppy or mushy because she wasn't that kind of person you had to read between the lines. It wasn't the _"I love you's"_ that let you know what Tsunade felt for someone it was the _"You look like shit's"_ which translated meant. _"You don't look well."_ and _"You're stupid if you walk home at that time of night."_ Really meant _"Be careful. I'm worried"_

It had taken Naruto years to decipher these hidden meanings but when he did he smiled to himself every time she said one of her cryptic phrases. Tsunade had always been there, a constant presents in his life. The one solid unmovable pillar that he could lean on. Though there had been times the blond male had hated the woman. As much as she did for Naruto she had been strict and pushed Naruto further than he ever thought he could possibly go. Looking back now Naruto wouldn't change a thing but at the time he really, really had hated the woman a lot of the time during his teens.

Naruto smiled to himself as he wondered how the dirty old pervert had managed to sway the unbreakable woman into marrying him. Naruto chuckled to himself one day he'd have to ask Jiraiya his secret. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at his chuckling before saying.

"Your grandfather is already up in the shit tip. Make sure he actually throws some of the crap out."

Page break.

Naruto found his grandfather in the attic as Tsunade had said. He was surrounded by boxes that had been opened and half the contents scattered around. The ageing man looked up when he heard the blond approaching.

"Shit I thought it was her coming. I know I still look like I'm in my 20's but still don't give me a heart attack just yet." The grey haired man whined and Naruto had to suppress a smile knowing he used the same tone .

"Sorry pervy, but aren't you supposed to be throwing this stuff in the trash?" The blond asked eyeing the various ornaments, knick knacks and knock off's scattered around.

Jiraiya shook his head in disappointment. "No these are treasures from all over the world. I know where I got every single one of them."

3hours later...

Naruto's stomach was rumbling and he was close to exhausted but they weren't even halfway through all the boxes. Naruto reached for a still sealed box of the top of the pile and set it down. Quickly slicing through the tape holding the box shut Naruto peered inside. Naruto scoffed as he pulled out a dusty old lamp. A real lamp like the ones genies came out of. He turned to Jiraiya who was watching him.

"A magic lamp? Really?" He asked in astonishment.

"Hn, I'll have you know that lamp inspired one of my best books."

Naruto pursed his lips. "Please tell me it wasn't the one titled "Rub me up." Or the one called "Rub me gently."?" The blond asked sceptically.

Jiraiya laughed out loud and boisterous. "I forgot there was two."

Naruto found himself laughing as well. "Is there a genie inside?" He asked holding the little brass lamp up and peeking inside it.

The grey haired author wiggled his eye brows. "Give it a try and find out."

The blond sniggered but held the lamp in one hand and rubbed it gently with the other. "Here genie, genie." He sang as Jiraiya laughed some more.

As expected nothing happened. "What did you buy it for?"

The older man stood up and stepped over to his grandson. "If I remember correctly it wasn't this I wanted, but it came as a job lot with some jewellery. Tsunade's got a couple of the rings and a chain I think. The rest she didn't like for whatever reason."

Jiraiya bent over the boxes and began to rummage around in it. When he straightened he had a handful of chains, bracelets and rings in his palm. "Most of it was trash but there were a couple of pieces that caught my eye. Like this one."

He held up a silver ring. Naruto found himself drifted towards it and reached out his hand. When it dropped onto Naruto's palm it felt warm, almost like it had been sat in the sun for a long time and a tingle ran through Naruto's body. It was strangely heavy. He stared at the object. It was breath taking, Naruto had never seen anything like it. It was a simple silver band with thinner bands wrapped around the larger one, making a knot like design. What Naruto assumed were precious stone set into the metal. A large turquoise crystal cut in a asscher style was sat sparkling in the centre of the largest band. Eight or nine small pear cut gems were scattered in the silver leading away from the large crystal all the way around the ring. They were either a deep almost red/orange, bright orange or almost a dark black/green type colour. The ring was too thick to be a woman's ring, but something about it felt almost famine.

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya gently jiggling the metal in his hand. "It's heavy."

" Not really. Eye catching though isn't it? Tsunade liked it but said it felt weird on her hand. Overly heavy she said, weird you think its heavy too." Jiraiya shrugged.

Naruto turned the ring in his hand and noticed writing on the inside of the band. "What's this? A silver mark?"

Jiraiya joined his side. "Not unless they marked precious metals in hieroglyphs."

The blond shot that man a glance. "What?"

The man nodded back at the ring. "I'm no expert but that looks like those pictures you see on the walls of pyramids."

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Hieroglyphs on the inside of a ring. Have you ever heard of anything like it?" Naruto asked.

"To be honest this is the first time I've noticed those marks." The grey haired man replied.

"Hey can I let Hinata take a look at it. She works at the museum." Naruto asked.

The blond didn't want to put the ring down but for the life of him he couldn't work out why.

Jiraiya laughed. "Naruto if you like the ring you can have it...I'm supposed to be getting rid of this stuff." He added in a lower voice as he looked at the two piles of objects they'd managed to sort through. The pile of things ready to be thrown being significantly smaller than the one of things to be re-packed and stored.

Naruto grinned at his grandfather. "Thanks. I can't explain why but I feel drawn to it."

The blond slipped the small silver band on his little finger. Naruto's blue eyes travelled over the surface of the ring before he snapped himself out of his daze. Standing up and clapping his hands together with a new burst of energy. Naruto turned back to the large pile of unopened boxes.

"Let's get this done."


	3. Awakening

**Hi and thank you again for taking the time to read this. As I've already said this is a slow build up. All my Naruto stories will be GaaraxNaruto, because I think there the better couple and there's far too much NarutoxSasuke for my liking. Again with the warnings boyxboy (Semi Naruto uke Gaara), bad language (Not just my spelling and grammar), violence, gore, adult themes (Yes sex and stuff) and probably a character death or two. Please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes, if anyone would like to beta my stories let me know. Please review otherwise I think no one's interested. Thanks again hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter 3. Awakening.**

 _Naruto grinned at his grandfather. "Thanks. I can't explain why but I feel drawn to it."_

 _The blond slipped the small silver band on his little finger. Naruto's blue eyes travelled over the surface of the ring before he snapped himself out of his daze. Standing up and clapping his hands together with a new burst of energy. Naruto turned back to the large pile of unopened boxes._

" _Let's get this done."_

Sakura twisted and turned the ring in her hand over again. "It's nice. I love the colour of these stones. I wonder if there real?"

The blond at her side shrugged. "No idea but it weighs a ton."

Sakura frowned. "It hardly weighs anything."

The blond gave her a sceptical look. "Are you kidding me? It feels like I've got an anaconda wrapped around my finger."

Okay so Naruto may have been exaggerating but the ring was really heavy for its size and while he was wearing it the blond was constantly aware of its presents. He wanted to touch it, constantly run his fingers over the warm metal.

The pink haired woman shook her head. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's not real silver."

Handing him back the item of jewellery and watching him place it back on his tanned finger the woman felt uneasy. The ring had made her uncomfortable when she held it. Like she was touching something stained or tainted. She gave a little shiver as she turned her eyes back to the street they were walking down. Naruto had returned to her apartment a lot later than she thought he would. Apparently Jiraiya had a slight problem with letting go of enough things to appease his wife. The blond had been hungry and tired and at one point said he didn't feel up to tonight's activities. Sakura had given the man a few gentle persuasion punches until the grumbling blond had agreed to go and get ready. It was then that Naruto realised he hadn't packed any clothes that he could wear out to the club.

After an hour of debating Naruto had finally worked up the nerve and asked Sakura if she would drive him back to Sasuke's apartment to grab a change of clothes. The pink hired woman had argued until she was blue in the face that this was a bad idea, but she couldn't argue that there was nothing in his bag that he could wear to their favourite local bar. The "Copy Cat Club" wasn't a fancy place by anyone's standards, but they did have a no sneakers policy and there was the problem. Naruto only owned one pair of dress shoes and they were at his ex's home. Was Sasuke the blonde's ex's? Sakura wasn't sure but what she was sure of was that going to the raven's apartment was a bad idea...and it had been.

FLASHBACK.

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at the key in his hand. Sakura waited patiently behind him. The pink haired woman had tried everything from telling him to just sit at the table all night keeping his feet hidden under the table to offering to buy him new shoes. The blond had disputed all of them. So here they were stood outside of his old front door. Inside Naruto was a mess. He didn't know if he should knock or just walk in. Sasuke probably wasn't even here he usually worked every hour his chief would allow him to. That thought calmed the blond somewhat. With a shaky smile at his best friend that she looked less than impressed with, he unlocked the door.

Naruto wasn't sure what he had expected, but it wasn't that everything would be just as it had when he left. He almost laughed at the thought. He only walked out last night did he really expect Sasuke to redecorate between then and now. Sakura slipped in behind him closing the door quietly. Naruto took a deep breath trying to push his muddled thoughts away, he had a plan. In and out. Plain and simple go in get the things he wanted and get the hell out. With any luck the raven wouldn't even notice Naruto had been here when he got home. Though a little part of Naruto wanted Sasuke to know, then maybe he'd call him and they could sort things out. Of course things are never that simple because just as Naruto turned to ask Sakura to grab his shoes out of the closet while he went to find the clothes he wanted a voice cut through the air.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

The pink haired woman glared down the narrow hallway at the dark haired male stood at the end. "Why shouldn't he be here? This is his apartment too. Plus all his belongings are here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He wasn't completely unaware of how Sakura's attitude towards him had gotten steadily more hostile over the years, but this was the first time she'd been openly hostile.

"I wasn't implying that he couldn't be here I just wasn't expecting him." The raven replied evenly.

Naruto could feel Sakura bristling at the side of him so he interjected. "I thought you'd be at work. I need to grab some stuff."

The raven stepped further into the hallway and behind him a figure of a woman appeared. Blue eyes glowered at the new comer. Sasuke glanced behind him then back to Naruto's burning azure gaze.

"It's not what you think." He stated taking a step towards the blond.

Naruto shook his head in disgust and hissed to the woman behind him. "Grab my shoes will you? I'll get what I need from Sasuke's room."

The pink haired woman didn't answer there was no need. As Sasuke followed Naruto into the bedroom Sakura's jade eyes never left the woman standing at the end of the hallway. She was pretty, but she looked a couple of years older than the raven. Her skin was pale, her eyes a yellow-brown colour and her blue hair was pulled into a loose bun with a white flower clipped to the side of her head. She was watching the door the two males had disappeared into. Sakura hoped she was pissed at the fact the man she was trying to steal had chased after Naruto instead of staying with her. Her yellow eyes drifted to Sakura.

"I'm going to assume that is Naruto. I'm sorry he and Sasuke are having troubles. I'm not a fan of Karin myself." The blue haired woman stated.

Sakura blinked. "Karin?"

The older woman nodded a little. "Yes I thought Naruto would have told you of their problems."

The pink haired nurse stepped forward. "He did, but Sasuke never mentioned a name. You know this Karin?"

Just as the woman opened her mouth to reply Sakura held up her finger indicating to the blue haired woman to wait a moment. Quickly before she forgot what they had originally come here for Sakura opened the cupboard and tried to locate Naruto's shoes as fast as she could. This woman may have some information Sakura could use to help her best friend. Once she had found them she stuffed them in her shoulder bag. It was a tight fit and the nurse was unable to fasten the zip but decided it didn't matter as she turned her attention back to the older woman waiting patiently.

"Can you tell me what you know?"

Yellow eyes regarded the woman in front of her for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure if I should."

Sakura swiftly approached the woman. "Please. If there's any way I can help Naruto I need to know." She pleaded.

The blue haired woman closed her eyes and sighed. She had only known Sasuke for a short time and Karin even shorter, but there was something she didn't like about the woman with glasses. "I'll tell you what I know, but it's not much."

She motioned for Sakura to follow her to the living room. Once in there they both settled themselves on the sofa. Both woman paused and stared towards the hallway when they heard a bang followed by muffled shouting.

Ignoring the arguing males the older woman began. "My name is Konan. I'm a detective from the city of Amegakure. Me and my partner Nagato were transferred here to help with the Akatsuki case. Me, Yahiko and Nagato were the first to uncover the gang. Yahiko went undercover to try and find out the gangs true motives and see if we could uncover the founding members. Yahiko was discovered and killed. So me and Nagato vowed to catch them no matter what. We travel from city to city were the Akatsuki is active.

I've been in Konoha for six weeks. I meet Sasuke on my first day here, he was assigned to help me sort through the information the police in this city had gathered. I suppose you could say we became friends quickly. He would often tell me stories of Naruto and the things he did. They were quiet amusing. But I also noticed he paid a lot of attention to one of the woman that worked in the forensic department. Karin. As long as I've known her she has been very flirtatious towards Sasuke even though she knows he is in a relationship. She's always talking about wanting to get married and having children.

She has done nothing wrong as such. It's hard to explain I just don't trust her motives...manipulative, yes that's the word. I was expecting to find out Sasuke had some sort of hidden fortune or something. He asked me here to talk about his troubles and so far he's been talking none stop about Naruto and how he's worried he's done something he won't be able to fix, but at the same time he's not sure he wants to fix it." Konan turned back to the woman at her side hoping her words had made sense.

They had. It was clear to Sakura Konan had presumed this Karin had been after some inheritance or small fortune of Sasuke's, maybe she was? Maybe she had gotten Sasuke and Itachi mixed up. It was no secret that when the Uchiha brother's parents had died they'd left a decent life insurance behind. The strange thing was only Itachi had received anything from it. Sasuke had refused to tell anyone anything about why he hadn't received anything. So why he was seemingly cut out of the will was still a mystery. Sakura chewed lightly on her bottom lip she liked this Karin woman less and less. Just what was this Karin after? One other thing caught Sakura's attention, when Konan had spoken of Yahiko there was a small tremor in her voice and a glassy look in her eyes. Sakura almost wrapped her arms around the older woman to comfort her. In the end the nurse decided against the action.

Page Break.

Naruto stomped into the bedroom and started yanking draws open with tree times as much force than necessary. How dare he bring her into his home. The blond hadn't even been out the apartment for 24 hours yet. Hell, Naruto's side of the bed was probably still warm. What the fuck was the raven thinking? Naruto heard the door close behind him, but he didn't need to turn to see who it was.

"Naruto will you just listen for one minute?" Sasuke asked quietly.

The blond snorted. He was so angry he could feel his hands shaking. A tingling sensation shot threw his body and he had to hold back a gasp at the strange but not pleasant feeling. The bastard had the audacity to tell him to listen. No, it was about time he listened.

Spinning to face his ex lover Naruto spat. "You couldn't fucking wait to replace me could you? Not even half way out the door before she's half way in it. All that bullshit about sorting your head out, you already knew what you wanted and it wasn't me. Was it? It was always her wasn't it? It was never me from the start. Did you ever care about me or was I just something to pass the time? Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?...You know what scrap that I should have known something like this would happen after I found you in bed with Sai. You really don't care about anyone do you? Do you?"

Sasuke stared at the man in front of him tanned hands gripping his blond hair in frustration and azure eyes shining with unshed tears. The raven found his resolve crack a little but not enough, this was Naruto's fault to start with.

"Don't you dare blame me for everything. I was fine, we were fine until that last year of high school when my best friend decided to tell me loved me. That's when things got fucked up between us." He yelled back at the blond.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Naruto screamed slamming his clenched fist down on the dresser making the wood groan under the force.

"You know how bad things were for me at home. I could never get my fathers recognition or praise, it was always Itachi, Itachi. Anything I did Itachi had already done and done it better. Itachi didn't care he was always looking down at me, condescending. The teachers all compared me to my older brother and all the guys at school hated me. They were either jealous of my money or my looks. The girls hounded me like bitches in heat. You were the only one who didn't care about any of it. And I loved you for it, like a brother. Then you had to go and tell me you loved me.

Have you any idea how I felt? I had never even considered dating another guy. I was afraid so I ran. Instead of letting me have some time to think things through you followed me and dragged me back." Sasuke ranted but was cut short by Naruto's scream.

"Your damn right I brought you back. I knew you ran because of me and I told you there and then, if you wanted to stay friends we would. Didn't I? And we did for nearly five years. I put up with every drunken confession from you and every detail of the girls you had been with. How do you think that felt. But not once did I take advantage of you. Not once did I whine about how much it hurt to watch you leave with one of your whores. I stayed by your side just like before."

Sasuke sprang forward shoving the blond back. Naruto stumbled slightly before catching himself on the corner of the dresser.

"It was never the same. You think I didn't see that look in your eye or the way Sakura started to hate me. You think you weren't on my mind all the time. I couldn't get away from you even when I tried. I had no choice in the end." The raven sucked in harsh breaths as he glared t the shocked blond.

"Are you saying you only got with me because you felt guilty or pressured?"

Naruto watched his ex run his hands through his hair over and over. Sasuke couldn't look in those expressive blue eyes he knew what he'd see. Hurt, anger, sadness, confusion, betrayal. The words just slipped out. He wasn't even sure if he meant them. Karin always understood and supportive him she never judged the way he felt. It was one of the things that pulled him to her. She made him feel it was okay to be a little selfish and think about himself. She was rational and logical. Naruto on the other hand was completely irrational and illogical. Naruto always made him feel guilty and like the biggest ass that ever walked the planet.

Naruto zipped his bag up. "I don't think there's any more to say is there? As soon as I find an apartment I'll get the rest of my stuff. I hope you and the new Mrs Uchiha are very happy."

Sasuke didn't move as the blond shoved him out of the way with his shoulder. Naruto pulled the door open and paused. With his hand on the door handle he said in a low tone.

"Just remember, that just because marrying a woman and having children is the norm it won't necessarily make you feel complete."

And with that final statement Naruto slammed the door. Sasuke heard the blond yell for Sakura and a moment after that the front door shut. Sasuke staggered to the edge of the bed and rested his head in his hands. He'd really fucked up now. Even if when he'd sorted his chaotic thoughts out and he decided he did still want the blond by his side it might just be too late.

Page Break.

 _Heavy eyes slowly opened to the darkness around him. He defiantly felt it that time. His hibernation had been disturbed not too long ago, but it was a faint tingle, this time he felt it. It was absolute. He could feel the adrenaline and aggression being feed through the bond. His neglected petite body stirred in anticipation of freedom. The darkness pushed down on him threatening to push him back into that cruel place somewhere between awake and asleep, but he wasn't going to let it drag him back to that state of semi-conscious. He needed to be ready. There was no light in this place not one sliver of brightness, it didn't bother him anymore. It probably never had. He closed his eyes to the light so long ago he almost wasn't sure if he had ever seen it. It has been a long hibernation this time longer than the others. He had started to wonder if he would ever be free of this prison again. A small grin formed on his lips. He had felt the connection someone of the bloodline was in possession of him once again. He could already feel his power returning to his long forgotten limbs he could feel the grains caress his pale skin. "I wonder how long it has been since I was last on the outside. I wonder if much has changed." He ideally asked himself as he flexed his extremities. It shouldn't take long for this human to release him. After all a human could only resist using this much power for so long. Humans craved power or wealth and the more they had at their disposal the more the addiction took hold. Humans were fickle creatures easily controlled by their emotions. Greedy, selfish, unpredictable and deceitful. They were fragile creatures, really he should feel sorry for them but those emotions were long gone. Burnt out like his patients, compassion and hope. He would do as his new master asked and watch as he burnt his own dreams and desires into ash. And he will laugh, oh how he will laugh loud and harsh just like the reality he had been banished into. They deserve to go to hell and he will help his new master on his way. It was the only way he can keep surviving in this existence. And the one thing he won't do is cease to exist._


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for reading. I've been really busy and not had as much time to write as I would like but things should be calming down now. I might even pick up some of my other stories that I've neglected. Still boyxboy Gaara uke Naruto seme. Slow build, blood, gore, violence, adult themes and character death in future chapters. Please R &R. **

**Chapter 4. Is it real?**

Sakura and Naruto were greeted by a chorus of _"There here"_ and _"Yay they made it."_ Naruto found a large smile pulling at his lips. Striding confidently up to the three tables that had been pulled together to seat their large group he smiled at his friends.

"Hey guys, it's been a while." The blond laughed as a shaggy brown haired boy jumped up and wrapped his arms around him in a half hug.

"You made it. I thought for sure you were going to skip out on us again."

"Sorry Kiba things have been a little rough at home lately."

Kiba and several of the others watching the exchange nodded their understanding.

"Where is prince Uchiha tonight? To important to come and drink with the commoners?" Kiba snarky asked.

Naruto chuckled and scratched at the back of his head. "Actually we split up...again."

The table went deadly quiet no one knowing quite what to say. Suddenly Naruto didn't feel as confident as he did earlier. A pale boy at the other end of the table leant forward.

"Why do you even bother getting back together in the first place?"

Naruto glared at Sai. They were friends now but that wasn't always the case and even now it was a rocky friendship at best. Sasuke had cheated on Naruto with Sai...kind of. The truth of the matter was Naruto had finished with the raven at the time, but they had only been finished for six hours. Sasuke had left the apartment in a strop after their fight while Naruto packed his things preparing to move out. The Uchiha ended up at a little run down bar where he met Sai serving behind the bar. After chatting for a while Sasuke had invited Sai back for a drink not expecting Naruto to change his mind and come home. All hell broke loose when Naruto found the two raven's in his bed. Sasuke had sworn he thought they were over and that he and Sai had only made out a little. Sai hadn't seemed the least bit bothered by the experience at all and had just stood up calmly collected his things and left the two males to sort it out between them.

Sai looked around at the people giving him sour looks. "I'm only stating that their relationship is volatile at best, wouldn't it be healthier for both of them to just stop getting back together."

Naruto chuckled. "So you can have another go at him?"

Sai frowned at the blond as he seated himself across the table. "That wasn't what I meant. I thought we were over that misunderstanding?"

Naruto laughed again. "Misunderstanding? You tried to bed my boyfriend."

"You weren't even together at the time. And we only made out." Sai grumbled.

A pretty woman with pale skin and long dark hair held her hands up at the two men. "J-just stop y-you two. It was a long t-time ago now." She stuttered quietly.

"Yeah drop it and let's get pissed." Kiba cheered from Naruto's side.

The blond and the raven stared at each other for a moment before Naruto grinned. He wasn't angry at Sai anymore, never really was if he was being honest. Naruto could never hold a grudge no matter what the person in question had done to him. And really Sai hadn't done anything wrong had he? He just met a handsome stranger at a bar, went home with him and then some hysterical blond burst into the bedroom claiming that he was the handsome stranger's boyfriend.

Sai shook his head and turned to talk to Ino not understanding Naruto's mood swings.

It took a couple of minutes to get everyone settled with a drink in front of them. Everyone was laughing and joking when Naruto felt a weight on his finger. Glancing down at the twisted metal the blond was reminded of what he had wanted to ask Hinata. Slipping out of his seat he moved to the chair Lee had just got up from.

"Hey Hinata."

The dark haired girl with eyes such a pale blue they looked almost white smiled up at him.

"Hey Naruto, are you okay?" She gave him a small smile.

The blond knew she was asking about him and Sasuke. He waved her off it was much easier to keep going if he kept the raven out of his thoughts as much as he could.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be fine we always are." The blonde's chest tightened at the words he knew they were a lie but he pulled the ring off his finger and placed it on the table between them. "What do you think?"

Hinata delicately picked the ring up and held to the light as she studied it with her pale eyes. Everything Hinata did was delicate, the way she spoke, the way she moved. Naruto had never heard her raise her voice once in the years he had known her, but she was fericly protective and loyal to her friends and that was the one thing Naruto looked for in his friends. Everyone in their little group (yes even Sai) had proven themselves one way or another and the blond was determined to keep them all together.

"It's beautiful. Do you know if the stones are real?" Hinata asked.

Naruto shook his head and gave her a cheeky smile that had her blushing a brilliant shade of red. "I was hoping you might be able to tell me."

A blush settled over her cheeks. "It's not really my area of expertise...but I could try."

Naruto nodded as he watched her twist the ring again. "The markings on the inside of the ring are defiantly hieroglyphs. But this doesn't look like the type of jewellery the ancient Egyptians made. It's probably just a replica. You see ancient Egyptians didn't make a lot of rings and they very rarely used silver. They wouldn't have been able to make something so small and intricate and if they did it would have been for royalty. I could do a quick test to see if it's silver, but it's not 100%."

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah please. I mean I was fairly sure it wasn't ya know a historical piece, but it would be nice if it was worth something."

Hinata gave him a small smile before looking back at the ring. Naruto quickly stood and jogged over to the bar when he got there a tall man with gravity deifying grey hair walked up to him Naruto's smile stretched so wide he thought his face might split in two.

The older male smiled at the blond. Even with the mask that covered the bottom half of his face and a bandana that covered is right eye the blond knew he was smiling.

"Well, well look what the cat dragged in." He said in a lazy voice as he leant against the bar.

"Hey Kakashi long time no see."

The grey haired man gave a little nod. "I was starting to think you didn't like my little place anymore."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Nah. Nothing like that. Work and home life, can I get one of my usual?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he pulled a brown tinted bottle from the fridge and placed it on the counter top. "Because I like you I won't charge you."

"Really?" The blond screeched.

Kakashi laughed as he turned to serve another customer. "Yeah sure, call it an incentive to come by more often."

Naruto shook his head but laughed along with the other man giving him a wave before heading back to the table. Sakura was talking to Lee Naruto noted with a smile. Settling back in his chair Naruto's azure eyes watched a frown appear on Hinata's face.

"Something wrong?"

"I've seen these markings before. There slightly different but I think this ring maybe part of a set.""

"Huh?" Naruto waited as Hinata bit her lip in thought.

"Do you remember Dr Orochimaru?" Hinata asked.

The scowl on Naruto's face clearly said he did. The blond had only met the man once and didn't really want to meet him again. Naruto and Sasuke had attended a ball at the museum and the slimy man had taken an interest in Sasuke that had pissed Naruto off to no end. Even if the raven had insisted that he was just being friendly. Yeah Naruto knew that kind of friendly it had resulted in a rather spectacular argument in the middle of the room and they were both asked to leave. Sasuke hadn't spoken to Naruto for three days claiming he'd never been so embarrassed in his life.

"Naruto he has a ring similar to this one. It's made of gold and has a large diamond in the middle surrounded by rubies. It's not as detailed as this one but the inscription in Egyptian is nearly the same as this one."

Naruto perked up. "Really? So what does it mean?"

"I-its hard to read it's all faded but I think it says _"This cage holds the living sand."_ There's a little more after it but I can't read it."

The blond was lost in thought. What was that supposed to mean? He was brought out of his daydream when Hinata started rubbing vigorously at one of the black/green stones. The dark haired girl rubbed and rubbed at it. Others of their group were now watching her; she looked as if she were trying to rub the colour from the stone.

"Hinata what are you doing?" Sakura asked from further down the table where she sat next to Lee.

"J-just trying something." She answered without ceasing in her motion.

A few looks were shared around the table but everyone remained quiet. Just as suddenly as she'd started the action she stopped then brought the gem to her nose and sniffed it. A few people giggled.

"Hinata are you okay?" Neji asked his cousin clearly concerned now she was sniffing a ring.

The dark hair girl straightened up with a smile. "Amber."

"Amber?" Neji repeated clearly as lost as everyone else.

The girl nodded. "Yes if you rub real amber until it gets hot then smell it, it smells like pine. Here." She said as she held the ring to Naruto.

The blond took the ring and sniffed the stone in question. "It does smell like pine." His face broke into a huge smile. "Wow, that's so cool I didn't know that,"

"Name something you do know." Kiba barked and the table broke out into a fit of laughter that only got worse when Naruto shouted an indigent.

"Hey."

It took a couple of minutes for everyone to settle down and then Lee, Tenten and Sai were nominated to fetch drinks. Just as Naruto predicted every time Naruto offered money he was shot down with an _"I'll get this one."_ Which he really didn't mind.

Hinata looked back at Naruto shyly. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more but if you want I could arrange for you to meet with Dr Orochimaru and he might be able tell you more."

The blond really didn't like the idea of going anywhere near the man, but the urge to know more about the ring was overwhelming. "Please Hinata, if it's not too much trouble."

Naruto slipped the ring back on his finger and the night continued on. Naruto laughed and joked with the others only occasionally having to fight back that empty feeling that kept rising in his chest or the slight squeezing sensation on his little finger. Kiba and Naruto started a game of dares that only he, Kiba and Lee actually played while the others laughed at their stupidity. At some point Kakashi joined the group and the blond found himself pleasantly surprised that every time he finished a drink another one appeared in front of him.

It was well after 1am when they were all finally kicked out of The Copy Cat bar and sent home. Naruto swayed slightly as he sang his left arm wrapped around Sakura's shoulders as she giggled and rolled her eyes. The streets were quiet and at some point between entering the bar and leaving it had rained. The blond jumped in a few puddles along the way laughing when Sakura squeaked and tried to punch him.

"How do you feel now?" The pink haired woman asked.

The question took a while to register in his foggy mind. Naruto was far from drunk but he was extremely tipsy. "It's fine if I don't think about it. When I do I feel empty ya know? Everything reminds me of the bastard, but at the same time there are not that many good memories. Did we really fight that much?"

Sakura kept walking at a slow pace there was a good chance Naruto might not like the answer she was going to give him but she had always told him the truth. "It wasn't a night out without you two fighting over something. The fact that I've got half your wardrobe at mine should be an answer as well."

The blond ducked his head down and nodded sadly. It was true that a lot of the things Naruto owned stayed at Sakura's because it was easier then taking them back and forth.

"Damn. We really are no good together are we?" the realisation was like cold water being dumped on his head.

"I wouldn't say that. You look good together and when you're not fighting you have a great time together." The pink haired woman smiled sadly trying to reassure her friend. "The last relationship I was in we fought all the time too. Maybe some couples are just like that."

Naruto idly fiddled with the ring on his finger it felt heavier somehow. Naruto smiled a toothy grin. "I'm starving have you got ramen?"

Sakura smile despite herself. "No I haven't." The blond slumped. "But I have got the ingredients to make a simple ramen dish."

The blond laughed. "I'm drunk you think it's a good idea to let me cook?"

"I'll cook you help."

"Deal." The blond agreed with a salute.

PAGE BREAK...

The broth was cooking nicely and Sakura was working on the noodles while Naruto attempted to cut up some vegetables. The fresh air hadn't helped clear his head if anything he felt more towards merry then tipsy now and it was making his job hazardous.

"Sakura." The blond man whined like a child. "I can't do this I've nearly cut my finger off twice."

The woman growled. "Fine I'll do it just keep out off my way."

Naruto pouted and chucked the knife he was using in the bowl full of soapy water that sat in the sink along with a couple of other utensils he saw laying on the worktop.

"So what do you want me to do?" The blond asked with a sheepish smile.

"Just get out of my kitchen...where's my spoon gone? It was right here?" Sakura grated out pointing to a spot on the side.

Naruto's sheepish smile got wider. "I put it in the sink." At the glare Sakura sent him he added. "I'll get it I thought you were finished with it."

The blond stuck his tongue out at the pink haired woman when she turned back to what she had been doing and with a tired sigh Naruto pulled his sleeve up and plunged his hand into the warm soapy water and felt around the bottom of the bowl.

"Shit" The blond yelped as he wrenched his hand back.

Sakura rushed to his side."What? What happened?"

Naruto looked down at his hand. "I grabbed that bastard knife by the blade."

"You idiot." Sakura shrieked as she took Naruto's bleeding hand into her own and pressed a cloth to his middle and ring fingers.

"I didn't do it on purpose." The blond defended.

"You don't put knifes into the water. You leave them on the side until you wash them so that things like this don't happen." She scolded.

"I know that now."

Sakura pulled the cloth away and examined the blonde's hand, Blood was running freely from the cut, trailing down his tan fingers then running along the edge of his palm.

"I'm getting blood all over my ring." The blond pouted.

"It'll wash off; I'll get the first aid box. It's not deep you'll be fine." Sakura said as she strode to the door of the kitchen to retrieve the first aid kit from the bathroom.

Naruto groaned as he turned on the tap and washed the blood off his hand. A light breeze flowed through the room sending a shiver down the blonde's back.

"This is the worst week of my life I swear." He complained to himself.

"Naruto I've got..." Sakura's sentence cut off with a gasp and the sound of a box dropping to the floor.

Naruto spun around startled by Sakura's reaction but stopped dead when he found himself staring down into a pair of unblinking pale turquoise eyes.


End file.
